


when bay leaves

by ritokki



Series: regret: the series [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Crack, M/M, NOT vore, caterpillar!taeil, does this count as fluff???, i hate all of these but ill never stop, leaf!taeyong, lowkey sad if you ignore how Fucking Stupid it is, me vs not writing dumb shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 16:11:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17124551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ritokki/pseuds/ritokki
Summary: taeil and taeyong find each other when they both need it most.alternatively: taeil is the caterpillar because he is old and likes to eat leaves.taeyong is the leaf because he is green and likes to photosynthesise.cronch.





	when bay leaves

**Author's Note:**

> honestly this isnt as bad as phagocyte!hyuck and bacteria!mark so,,, enjoy!

Taeil loves leaves. They help him. If he bites, they will provide with the right sustenance to make him grow.

Taeil is old. He is reaching the final stage before he will cocoon himself in layers of hardened protein, ready to be reborn. But he is not yet ready. No, he requires more. What he needs - is a leaf.

Not just any leaf, though - it needs to be special. It needs to be packed with protein, so he can become big, big enough to finally pupate. Ever since he first broke free from his egg, he had imagined what it would be like to become a butterfly; if it would be freeing, painful, or something unimaginable. He knows that butterflies don't live long, so he made a promise to himself - stand out. It was his dream to be a butterfly so beautiful that no one could resist him. He wanted to make an impact, or at least as much as an insect with a 1.5-inch wingspan could.

Taeyong is a leaf. He has lots of chlorophyll (he considers it a charm point, really), and he’s really green - not with envy, just in general. 

Taeyong loves his job. He doesn't really do much, just stands there, waving gently with the wind as all sorts of insects come, take what they need from him, and then leave. It’s important work, but he always wants more. He wants to be appreciated; he wants to feel like he’s really making a difference, like he’s not just one of many.

Then, they found each other.

At first, it was convenient; a mutually benefitting arrangement. Taeyong would provide sustenance for Taeil, being one of the larger and healthier leaves in the area, and Taeil would give Taeyong reassurance. It wasn't too much, just offhanded praises, but soon they started to sound different. Taeil spoke with more conviction, and Taeyong could feel it. He felt it deep, deep in his roots - it meant something. It had to.

They continued on steadily for two weeks, until they no longer did. Taeil disappeared, completely off the map. Taeyong tried to search for him, he tried to ask around, but realised that he was a leaf. Leaves are attached to the ground. Leaves don't have mouths. He was trapped by his own biology. 

He was angry in the beginning. So angry that he shook furiously at the mere thought of his once precious companion. But as time passed, he started to droop. Once a luscious green and flourishing plant, Taeyong turned yellowish, edges curling as his stem refused to accept more water. He was shutting down, and he was entirely too aware.

Fourteen days later, Taeyong thought this could be it. His leaf was almost entirely rotten, with only a small patch right in the centre still collecting sunlight. Even his favourite activity - photosynthesis - had lost its appeal. Lost, that’s what he was. Without Taeil, he was lost.

He was mostly numb, but suddenly there came about an odd, scratching sensation that ticked him off to before unseen heights. So, upon the order of his last nerve, Taeyong gave himself a lacking shake, using more energy than he had generated in the last two weeks in one fell swoop. The scratching stopped almost immediately, but Taeyong didn't bother to check it out. Even if it was some sort of disease-carrying insect preparing to infect him, he had lost all energy and with it, all will to continue like this. 

There was a moment of silence before a butterfly flew into Taeyong’s vicinity. It was beautiful, spectacularly so. Small, but boasted bright red wings and intricate details that made it stand out from its mostly green surroundings. Taeyong was awed, but something felt strange, especially as the butterfly flew closer and closer until Taeyong could feel the push of its wings through the air. Then, he realised what was so familiar.

He couldn't tell Taeil how he felt, of course not, but Taeil didn't need words to understand Taeyong. He never did.

“I'd never leaf you.”

**Author's Note:**

> look no one died this time!! happy ending!!!
> 
>  
> 
> [my twitter!](https://twitter.com/ritokki)  
> [my curiouscat!](https://curiouscat.me/ritokki)


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